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Post by Boyd Percy on Mar 8, 2019 18:19:46 GMT -5
It's hard to believe but a year ago we lost Wes. We're still reading and enjoying the books he left behind. It's almost like he is still around.
Sincere condolences to his wife and family.
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Post by Jase on Mar 13, 2019 22:54:22 GMT -5
It doesn't seem like it's been that long. We are inching ever closer to the sad day when there will be no more new stories left. I'm not at all wanting that to happen, though I know it is inevitable.... Wes's gift of storytelling has certainly brought joy to a great many folks. No better legacy, in my book, to be remembered for the joy he brought to folks.
Best Jase
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Post by Boyd Percy on Mar 14, 2019 12:19:58 GMT -5
Further sad news to report. Helen R. Boyd, Wes's mother, died on March 9,2019 at age 92. This was one year and one day after Wes died. Her obituary mentions that she and her late husband, Otis, had an airplane and liked to fly.
Condolences to her surviving family.
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Post by Mocha1120 on Apr 7, 2019 22:56:20 GMT -5
My condolences to the family of Helen Boyd.
Also, best wishes to the family of Wes Boyd. He left a legacy that will live on for a long time. His books have the power to entertain. They make you think about life and how to live it.
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Post by Gary Layng on Apr 9, 2019 20:28:17 GMT -5
My sympathies to the Boyd family on this sad anniversary, and on the latest passing. I too will regret the last of the books coming out. I'm right now enjoying Snowplow Extra, yet again.
Smowplow Extra makes me miss my father, who spent most of his working life as a firefighter in Ontario, eventually reaching the rank of Captain. I like to think he would have enjoyed Snowplow Extra.
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Post by Ed Greenberg on Apr 12, 2019 10:04:32 GMT -5
Also making my way through most of Wes's books again. I'm close to the end of the SFL stories, then I have to start on Bradford. I'm finding lots of things I had forgotten, and it's nice to fill them in.
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Post by JJMcDonald on Jul 5, 2019 22:24:06 GMT -5
Wes's works caught my eyes over 20 years ago. While he and I had differing opinions on a LOT of things (I am a hard boiled Reagan Republican. Not the Wishy washy ones that are common today) we were always able to talk. I was struck with Wes's civility which is something that is Very rare today in almost any discussion. His writings emphasize family. The Minister series especially finds what we all need to look toward a spiritual entity to communicate with. Catholic, Baptist, Muslim, and Buddah all believe in a senior spirit. They don't agree with how he wants us to behave all the time.
I joked with him once about the old Mark Twain joke about putting a wide distribution of religious leaders in a room and locking the door. When the organizer went into the room after an hour he found all of the participants were dead. Apparently they had disagreed on a detail and decided to carry their arguments to a higher court.
Wes had a sense of humor. And a sense of being a person.
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Post by John Robert Mead on Jul 17, 2019 22:58:20 GMT -5
Wes's works caught my eyes over 20 years ago. While he and I had differing opinions on a LOT of things (I am a hard boiled Reagan Republican. Not the Wishy washy ones that are common today) we were always able to talk. I was struck with Wes's civility which is something that is Very rare today in almost any discussion. His writings emphasize family. The Minister series especially finds what we all need to look toward a spiritual entity to communicate with. Catholic, Baptist, Muslim, and Buddah all believe in a senior spirit. They don't agree with how he wants us to behave all the time. I joked with him once about the old Mark Twain joke about putting a wide distribution of religious leaders in a room and locking the door. When the organizer went into the room after an hour he found all of the participants were dead. Apparently they had disagreed on a detail and decided to carry their arguments to a higher court. Wes had a sense of humor. And a sense of being a person. I'm a tad to the left of you, I'm afraid. But I've often thought that if those in charge of companies, etc., took the perspective that the Clark's did, an awful lot of the legislation I support would be completely unnecessary. There's no need to regulate industry if it self-polices successfully. There's no need to say "this is an unacceptable work practice" if no one does it in the first place. If all companies were concerned about their impact upon the environment, and the long-term prospects of their employees, and the health of the community they were located in... there'd be no need for regulations concerning those things. The market does not exist in a vacuum. It's part of the society it operates in. The Clarks realize that. Wes did tend to set up strawmen at times, the unfortunate thing being that there are indeed individuals as bad as that running around, that they weren't totally overblown. They're a tad uncommon, but they do exist. I'm currently non-religious; that changes from time to time... Nanci is the type of religious person I'd wish to be. Her approach to faith and deed, and the concern for all individuals despite their circumstances, those struck a resounding cord with me. Family and/or the relationships between individuals does seem central to Wes' writings. While there's a lot of stuff dealing with rafts, aircraft, sports, whatnot, those are all there because they relate to the individuals the stories are focusing on; they aren't the primary focus themselves, the individuals are. Wes was always civil, so far as I can say from my experience. And a good sense of humor. And it was clear he did care about people both as groups and as individuals. He understood that there is a need for structure, rules and regulations, but there also needs to be a means of bypassing those when the situation calls for it. That there are times when you have to make a judgement call.
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